Open Choke is the nom de plume of an anonymous oil and gas industry executive.
Open Choke's ideas and opinions do not necessarily represent the ideas or opinions of Drillinginfo.com, its owners, or employees.
Visit www.drillinginfo.com!

October 11, 2011

What the "Occupy {Your CIty Here}" Movement is All About...

A reader of this blog, who goes by the name "Rely on the Prize", posted this as a comment. A brilliant description...

"I agree that people are angry, and those of us used to the norms must heed this unrest, and realize what it means. However, so should the supporters analyze the protests. I had a two hour discussion with my liberal wife last night about Occupy Wall Street, because I have a hard time understanding it. I said "honey, even the hippies in the 70's had an end goal in mind - they wanted the US out of Vietnam." I can relate to that - I want us out of Iraq and Afghanistan...but that isn't what they're protesting. I could support and end to the Fed and the unmonitored, pseudo governmental, yet privately controlled system it upholds...but that isn't what they're protesting. I would even support a rally against oversized, monopolistic banks (10 banks controlling ~80% of American capital is not a good idea)...but that's not what they're protesting. The fact the banks paid back their TARP money makes you wonder why the ire is aimed at these banks. Why not rally at the doors of GM? I would DEFINITELY support the protests if they marched their asses to Washington and protested the contributing factors to our financial woes. Banks paid back TARP, but what about Obama's $787 BB spending bill, the $410 BB omnibus spending bill, and now another $400 BB spending (er...jobs) bill? Government does not create jobs or value, and the last three years pretty well hammered that point home...but that's not what they're protesting.

They are protesting against capitalism and the free market, and I cannot support such a protest. I am just as angry that a century of covert politics resulted in the pseudo socialist system currently in place in America, but the answer is not totalitarian government, as these protesters are manipulated into thinking. Look at the signs - the protesters are being used by the unions demonstrating they can direct an angry mob. The unions want a stronger government...so long as they have a seat at the table. The problem is that such goals are all hogwash in the end.

Strong central government works only in a completely homogeneous society. Marx himself wrote the only way his system would work is if EVERYONE was so fed up with their current system they willingly gave their independence to the commune. If you accept that a diverse society will always have differing opinions (and should), then you must accept that strong centralized forms of governance, such as socialism and communism, will never work. The ridiculous irony is the misguided protesters are aiming for the wrong thing. They want individualism. They want to do what is cool. They want to celebrate the power of the people. The system that gives the most power to the people is free market capitalism. The free market is based on the collective opinions of the entire population when they each place a value on everything around them. Rather than ceding your individual power (and right) to decide what everything is worth to a "superior," capitalism gives those infinite choices to ALL OF US. Power to the people indeed - by simple definition there CANNOT be anything more democratic than the free market.

History shows us there are essentially two ways to organize - centralized power or distributed / individualized power. If Occupy Wall Street had clearly stated goals (that make sense - their website states a "living wage" as a clear demand...I don't have the time to decry the ignorance of paying people for breathing...what does a pay cut mean?), I would support every goal that limits central power and actually does give that power to the people. From what I can discern, these protesters are rallying for stronger central power, in the form of Soviet flags, "support socialism" signs, and union participation at all levels.

I agree with Scott that the American dream is cracking, but it is because we are confiscating We The People's power...and these protesters are willingly delivering their souls, their individual choice, to a very devious group of manipulators who are all too eager to claim this independence in the name of stronger central government. A central government controlled by the very few who are truly behind these protests and this anger."

Thany you "Rely on the Prize". If you agree with this, I urge you to forward to your friends and facebook friends. It is the best encapsulation of this I have read yet...

Comments

My comments have been limited to Choke’s assertion that the American Dream is alive and well, in spite of the worst economic downturn in the America’s history, and that he holds himself, “The Choke” in the flesh, as an example of the dream in action. I find this ridiculous, and listed reasons why in a prior post.

I also find portions of the “Rely on the Prize” soliloquy to be nonsensical, although not nearly as arrogant and as absurd as Choke’ post. For example, the quote regarding the Wall Street protests from ROTP:

“They are protesting against capitalism and the free market, and I cannot support such a protest.”

Now I don’t claim to understand all the protesters stand for, but it seems to me that protesters issues with Wall Street have less to do with a free market and everything to do with a rigged market. If there was a free market, Goldman, JP Morgan and all the other firms would be belly up. The protest, in my opinion is focused on the special treatment given Wall Street by the our government and the Federal Reserve, to include the bailout with no strings attached, wherein massive bonuses were doled out to the guys who caused the problem and then debt was transferred to Joe citizen. If you want to talk about socialism, just look at Wall Street. And you think the firms are good to pay the money back? What a joke that is. Take a look at the biggest welfare mother in the world, AIG. The protesters are complaining about the revolving door between Goldman Sachs and the Federal Regulators. I must say this is a point that resonates with me.

Wall Street has corrupted our SEC and disconnected the alarm system over the years. They created the debt with derivatives and made us pay it out, 100 cents on the dollar and then paid themselves bonuses with our bailout money. The average Joe did not get a bailout. Now there is anger and there are good reasons for it. I think the protesters want the money back and are prepared to take back. I think this is a good thing. I hope they take any measures necessary to get the job done.

If Royale is correct about the protesters, and I sense that he is, Wall Street is NOT where they should be rallying. They should all be on Pennsylvania Avenue, in front of the Capital, in front of the White House, in front of the Treasury Building.

Would they kill the wolf for eating a baby willingly offered by its parents? Aren't the parents responsibe for the baby being eaten, not the wolf?

They need to protest against, and get rid of, the wolf-feeding baby-parents. Wolf jus' bein'
wolf.

I sometimes wonder about the middle aged oil guys that beat their chests about how successful they are, and attribute it to brains, hard work and America. In my opinion, most of them are just bubble riders, at the right place during the right time. Now the bubbles are popping and they are feeling very mortal. Oh, and has anybody heard more about those new SEC subpoenas to shale gas operators?

That's funny... I was wondering what it is about folks that think success for others was just a pure lucky roll of the dice, and that it somehow was a bloated and out of control meddling government that is ultimately responsible and thus warranted in dictating what the lucky winner gets to keep. I agree that crony capitalism exists. It gets bigger as government gets more powerful. I admit that fraudsters exist. Rules and regulations should be enforced approriately. The unconventional resources we have are NOT a static pie, nor are the "best practices". Saying it is a fraud is thrwoing the baby out with the bathwater, like calling capitalism a fraud, rather than the few that try to bend or break the rules. Oh wait, that IS your thesis! When one takes for granted ALL the benefits of the system, and thinks that they are not a product of that same system, and wants to dismantle the system to solve for the edge effects, it seems that one isn't fully aware of the cost/benefit. Of course, these are the same that DON'T believe in cost/benefit, because costs don't matter. It is value based, and based on non unversal principals or even non majority principals.

I am saying that times are different now in America, and one cannot equate the post war economic boom in America with the 21st century reality. Use any measuring stick you like, and you will see diminished opportunity. Therefore, I think it is unfair to tell the kids “By God I did this and the other and achieved this wealth and the reason you don’t have the “stuff” is that you don’t ..blah blah blah”. That is the typical line from a bubble rider.

Times are different but opportunities abound for those willing to use their minds on creativity or get dirty or work hard or all of the above....and some opportunities have just not been thought of yet. These opportunities will be realized because of the American Dream and then the government will find a way to ride the bubble and get a piece of the success in the name of helping those that can't help themselves and the cycle continues......